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Published : 25 Feb 2025, 10:53 PM
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has invited SpaceX founder Elon Musk to visit Bangladesh to kill off the possibility of internet shutdown ever again in Bangladesh by making Starlink services available.
The chief advisor's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam shed light on the invitation to Musk in a Facebook post.
“The main reason Elon Musk's Starlink is invited and being launched in Bangladesh is to stop the business of online shutdown forever.
"The Sheikh Hasina dictatorship shut down the Internet on scores of occasions during her 16 years rule.
Shafiqul continued: “Internet shutdown is a favourite tool of the dictators and autocrats to crack down protests or suppress any major opposition agitations.
“But in the process, hundreds of thousands of free lancers were affected.
“Starlink's arrival in the Bangladesh market means no future government can fully shut down the Internet.
“At least BPO firms, call centres and free lancers will never be hit by any new attempt to stop the net.”
The chief advisor, while on a trip to Dubai to attend the World Government Summit, had a telephone conversation with Musk on Feb 13 regarding the launch of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service in Bangladesh.
Yunus invited the SpaceX founder to visit Bangladesh in a letter dated Feb 19, according to a statement from the Chief Advisor’s Office.
Citing the letter, the statement said: “The chief advisor informed Musk the visit would provide an opportunity to connect with Bangladesh’s youth, who will be the primary beneficiaries of this advanced technology.
“Let us work together to achieve our common goal of building a better future.”
Yunus added that Starlink’s internet connectivity will bring about a transformational change in the structure of Bangladesh, especially among the various initiatives of youth, rural and marginalised women, and communities in remote areas.
The release also said he instructed his Special Assistant Khalilur Rahman to collaborate closely with SpaceX on this matter, ensuring the service is launched in Bangladesh within the next 90 days.
